Sunday, May 7th: White Partridge to Little Dickson
I woke up early, around 6:30am. Frost was present around my bag and inside the tent. I had a sleeping bag rated for –11°C, but that is the extreme rating. The cold, Markus snoring (kidding Markus), Bo in the next tent over, snoring, and the excitement of the trip perhaps caused me to wake up at least 6 times during the night.
I was the first out and about, and quickly made a fire. Preacher got up and asked who made the fire. He thanked me for making it! I thought I was going to get in crap for making noise. We all had some breakfast and coffee and broke camp. We were on the water by 9:00 am.
Markus ready to get on the water.
With clearing the 915 m portage to Sundassa the night before, we had no problems portaging.
View of Sundassa from the portage to White Partridge.
Trickery and pain portage?
With a short trip across Sundassa, we were set-up for a 2685 meter portage to Little Dickson. This portage was called “Trickery and Pain” by Markus. I must agree with him! This portage has a muddy beaver dam at the half way point. Most of our group brought their gear to this point and returned for more.
Boardwalk along the portage .. a little slippery.
We all made at least two trips and then some! Markus set up his video camera at the beaver dam. It was around 2 o’clock and I was hungry and tired. We had been moving since 9:00 am. A few of us stopped for a bit to eat. This portage has many ups and downs and rocks to work around. The beaver dam alone was fun to cross. On one side you get wet and muddy if you lose your balance. On the other side is a drop-off that could leave some wounds!
Markus going across the tricky beaver-dam crossing.
We finished off the portage and set into the waters of Little Dickson at 5:00 pm! It was seven hours from White Partridge to Little Dickson. We didn't beat any records. That’s for sure!
Bo and Shelia were loaded up and in the water .. with Preacher and Dogbyte not far behind.
Bo and Sheila looked at a site across from the Island site for us. But, it was not all that nice and we all decided to camp on the island site. It was a very nice site with lots of trees and we found enough room for 3 tents.
Our island paradise on Little Dickson. Our site was far to the right, around the corner.
As we made land, Bo brought out a six pack! We toasted our stay on Little Dickson for three nights. Shelia called this campsite a special place. I agreed with her. With our tents up and our kitchen area set, next was where to put our hammocks up to relax?
Bo getting updated on the hockey game and Markus doing what he does best! Sorry Markus, LOL.
We manage to find some wood on the island, to burn for the night. The island has thick cedar cover in most part. Behind our site there was a steep hill. We were able to find room for three tents. The fire pit area was very nice and someone had made a cooking area out of plywood. Supper for Markus and I was steak and chopped potatoes. We hoped for fish for tomorrow's for dinner! We didn't stay up to late, as we were tuckered out from tripping all day. It was nice sitting around the fire and talking about past and future trips. I was enjoying everyone’s company.
Bo has been tripping in the park over 30 years. He loves to fish. It was great of him to give us some tackle to use.
Sheila loves nature. I’ve never seen anyone who is so passionate about nature. She enjoys being in the park as much as Bo does. The perfect match!
Preacher is also a super guy. He's always helpful and a joy to talk to. He has many years experience tripping solo in the park. He also knows how to fish, not like me!
Dogbyte is a hawkeye. He finds all kind of kool stuff that I would normally pass by. He's an explorer, big time. He loves to check out new sites and areas. He gives 100% to whatever he does .. either paddling or chopping wood. He has all the cool little gizmos for camping. He was kind enough to allow our gang to use his gravity camp water-filter. Thanks Dogbyte! I know you had to purchase a new one because of all the pollen in the water.
Markus! What can I say about him. Most know him from his website Markinthepark.com and from him being a regular contributor on AA. It was great hooking-up with him for our trip. He's a smart dude, who has great passion for the park.
The forecast was looking better for he next three days. But, rain was forecasted for our last two days.